


Dreamt Up Fear

by Satellites_and_Stars



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:02:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23473657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Satellites_and_Stars/pseuds/Satellites_and_Stars
Summary: Alex is drowning, and he's never been so scared in his life.
Relationships: Jack Barakat/Alex Gaskarth
Kudos: 21





	Dreamt Up Fear

Alex was running. Sprinting through an abandoned parking garage, covered in vines and foliage. The sound of his feet pounding against asphalt echoed off the walls, and he could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. He didn’t know where he was or where he was running to or what from. All he knew was this overwhelming sense of terror that threatened to consume him.

The rows of pillars went on and on with no end in sight, and with every passing minute, Alex grew more and more hopeless. But he had to keep running. He had to keep going.

And just as he was beginning to think he’d be stuck in this never-ending loop for the rest of eternity, the gray concrete fell away, and all that was left was the sky and the end of the world. And underneath that bright blue expanse stood Jack, balancing on the edge between the earth and an endless void.

Jack smiled at him, and Alex’s heart leaped. Jack was his happy place. Jack made him feel safe, and he was so, so tired of feeling scared and afraid, and he wanted, needed Jack to hold him and tell him that everything was okay. So he ran, eyes filling with tears, desperate to close the gap between the two of them.

But before Alex could reach him, Jack took a step backward and disappeared over the ledge and into nothingness, and the feeling of terror and fear was back, and Jack was gone, and Alex couldn’t take it anymore.

He dove over the edge after Jack, squeezing his eyes shut as he fell into cold water with a splash. Jack was below him, unconscious and sinking deeper and deeper into inky blackness. Reaching out, Alex swam as fast as he could, but no matter how hard he kicked, Jack only drifted further and further away.

As he sunk lower, the darkness closed in, and Alex’s lungs were screaming for oxygen. He didn’t know how much longer he could last, but he wasn’t going to give up, even as his sight blurred, panic set in, and he could no longer distinguish up from down and down from up. He needed air.

Oh God, he was gonna die here.

xxx

Alex woke up with a gasp, hair plastered to his face with sweat. A nearby lamp cast a soft glow on his surroundings as Alex realized that he was in his own bed in his own room in his own house. And beside him stood Jack, who was holding his cellphone and looking like he was on the verge of tears.

But Alex didn’t care about anything except that Jack was alive. He was here, and he was safe, and everything was okay, and Alex wasted no time sitting up and throwing himself at Jack, clinging to him like he would disappear if he let go.

Jack dropped his phone to the ground and hugged back just as tight. “Fuck, Alex, you weren’t breathing,” he said shakily.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry. I just got scared, that’s all.”

They stood there, holding each other until Alex could feel his arms weakening from exhaustion.

Jack noticed too. “C’mon, I’m gonna take you to the doctor’s.”

“I don’t need to,” Alex protested.

“You’ve had a fever all day, and you just stopped breathing in your sleep. It’s getting worse.” He buried his nose in Alex’s hair. “I’m just worried about you.”

“It was just a nightmare,” Alex quietly explained. “I thought I was underwater. It’s basic instinct to hold your breath.”

Jack let out a deep sigh. “Okay, fine, no doctor. Unless it happens again. Then you’re going, no arguing. Okay?”

Alex nodded and climbed back into bed, overcome with tiredness. It was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

After brushing the hair from Alex’s face, Jack gently placed a hand on his forehead. “Hey, don’t fall asleep yet,” he said, frowning at how warm Alex felt. “I’m gonna get you some more medicine. Be right back.”

Alex watched Jack go, leaving the bedroom door open a crack, then turned his gaze upwards. Now that the adrenaline rush had worn off, he was becoming more aware of how shitty he was really feeling. Everything was too hot and too cold all at the same time, and Alex felt like he couldn’t quite catch his breath. He was completely devoid of energy; moving just seemed like so much work.

Only a minute later, Jack returned with a small cup of medicine that he handed to Alex, who downed it all in one go.

Grimacing at the medicine’s awful taste, Alex handed the cup to Jack and lay back down. He curled in on himself as his stomach churned.

“Are you gonna throw up?” Jack asked, prepared to run and get a trash can.

“No, I’m okay,” Alex insisted. “Can we like, watch a movie or something?”

“I think you need to sleep some more.”

“I’m not tired.”

“I can see you struggling to stay awake,” Jack said, looking pointedly at him.

“I don’t wanna sleep. Sleep is boring.”

“Alex. You need sleep.”

Alex crossed his arms indignantly. “I don’t think so.”

“Is this about that nightmare you had?”

“What?” Alex asked, caught off guard. “No, it isn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Jack smirked. “Are you scared to go to sleep?”

“No!” Alex could feel the blush creeping up his face. “I’m not fucking scared.”

“Okay Mr. I’m-Not-Scared, then go to sleep.” Jack switched the lamp off with an air of finality, throwing the room into darkness.

With a huff, Alex flipped over onto his side and tried to fill his mind with static, anything to try and help him forget that terrible feeling of fear and helplessness that he was sure he never wanted to feel again. He was just about to give up, though, when he felt the bed shifting beside him.

“Wait, Jack, stop, I don’t wanna get you sick,” Alex said worriedly.

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Jack scooted closer and pulled Alex into his arms.

Alex fought weakly but eventually relented, resting his head on Jack’s chest.

“You can go to sleep now, I got you,” Jack said softly, running a hand up and down Alex’s arm comfortingly.

Smiling contentedly, Alex snuggled closer to Jack and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This was another request. Comments and kudos much appreciated, and please feel free to request a story of your own by commenting below or messaging me on Tumblr @satellites-n-stars. Also totally hit me up if you wanna discuss ATL's new album :)


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